A Sports Scotland Community Sport Hub is based around Whitecraigs Rugby Club serving Newton Mearns. As a result the club is developing a multi-sport environment attracting other sports clubs and catering for as many members of the local community as possible with a diverse programme of activity.
What is a Community Sport Hub?
Community sport hubs provide a home for sport.
They bring together sport clubs and key local partners who want to develop and grow the sporting offering in the community.
They focus on sustainable, community-led approaches that get clubs working together to develop welcoming, safe and fun environments for sport.
Community sport hubs are Lottery-funded and are one of sportscotland’s key programmes which contributes to Legacy and supports local sport clubs to play their part in a world class sporting system.
A community sport hub is focused on the clubs around a sport centre, community centre, school, park or a playing field pavilion. In some cases a community sport hub combines a number of these places, or it may simple centre on a single-venue hosting many clubs. The ‘hub’ is essentially a collective of progressive sport clubs working together in a local community.
How do community sports hubs work?
Each community sport hub is unique, and develops its own vision and values in a clear and simple plan. The common thread that binds all hubs together is that they work to be sustainable, and they follow these five principles:
Growth in participation
Understanding community need
Supporting community leadership
Offering a range of sports
Ensuring all the right people are working together
Each hub will vary in its model and structure but all should involve local groups and organisations. The community sport hub officer plays a fundamental role in bringing key people together. Working in partnership helps to develop community sport hubs and clubs in a sustainable way.
What do community sport hubs aim to achieve?
Community sport hubs created simple and clear plans to deliver sporting opportunities within communities, based on local need. Some of the outcomes that community sport hub officers work towards are noted below.
Profile
Raise the awareness and prole of community sport hubs in the local community. Share and promote opportunities to participate in community sport hubs. Celebrate the success of community sport hubs in local communities.
People
Support the community sport hub workforce to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours. Recruit, retain and develop volunteers to maintain sustainable community sport hubs. Encourage and support community sport hubs to o ffer leadership opportunities to young people in a range of roles including decision makers, deliverers/coaches, event/competition organisers and technical officials.
Participation
Engage with the community to understand local need. Offer a range of sporting opportunities for people to take part in sport. Support and develop e ective sporting pathways between schools, education and club sport. Engage with people who may experience barriers to participation to support their inclusion in activity.
Sport Scotland – Community Sport Hubs
